Gearing



Oct. 8, 1957 w. D. CILIAMPION, SR

GEARING Original Filed Sept. 5, 1944 I I m 5 Sheets-Sheet l Oct. 8, 1957 w. D. CHAMPION, SR 2,808,732

GEARING Original Filed Sept. 5, 1944 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Oct 1957 w. p. CHAMPION, 'sR 2,808,732

GEARING Original Filed Sept. 5, 1944 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 g INVENTOR- Awm 1, )4.

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GEARING Wilburn D. Champion, Sn, Cleveland, Ohio Continuation of application Serial No. 552,731, Septemher 5, 1944. This application November 10, 1952, Serial No. 319,656

8 Claims. (Cl. 74-462) This application is a continuation of my application, filed September 5, 1944, Serial No. 552,731.

This invention relates to an improvement in gearing and particularly to a method of forming gears of the spur, bevel, herringbone, spiral, hypoid, helical and worm types, and to the construction of such gears.

Most gears as used heretofore have been objectionable because of the small contacting areas of the teeth, the noise resulting from the engagement of certain types of the teeth as the gears rotate and the difiiculty of lubricating the gears adequately in service. Furthermore, such gears are inefficient in operation due to the difliculty of obtaining and enduring great power therewith satisfactorily, and the fact that ordinarily only one tooth of eachspur gear is in engagement with one tooth of the opposite gear at any one time. They have also required an excessive pressure angle, torque resistance, and ingress percentage contact, caused by the shape and contact of the teeth of such gears.

Efforts have been made to obviate these objections, particularly by employing spiral, herringbone, helical or worm gearing, instead of spur gearing, wherever the same may be used, but the cost of manufacturing such spiral, herringbone, helical or Worm gearing makes -it almost prohibitive in many instances. a

V The object of this invention is torimprove the design and construction of gears to provide an efficient and noiseless operation and which can be constructed at no greater cost than that of ordinary spur or bevelgears and generally in the same manner of spur or bevel gears. At the same time the construction of the gears, according to this invention, does not require great skill; and due to its simplicity of design, these may be made at much less cost and with less material than any other comparable gearing used heretofore.

This object is accomplished by the lay-out of the gear teethas hereinafter described which provides for aug mented surface contact of the teeth of intermeshing gears throughout the adjacent portions thereof so that at least three teeth of one gear are in bearing engagement with two or more teeth of the opposite gear at any one time, and the teeth of the one gear embracing a tooth of the opposite gear bear against opposite sides thereof over surfaces of saidteeth by means of adequate lubrication and tolerance as per material employed, which provide for greater efficiency and noiselessoperation due to the rolling motion on lubricant thatoccurs between the teeth in the rotation of the gears. Furthermore, material may be added to the base of the female portion of the teeth to increase greatly the strength of the coacting male portion of the teeth. 1

I have illustrated examples or" my invention in the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic lay-out showing the tooth design of a pair of coacting gears of different diameters;

Fig. 2 is a similar view for gears of the same diameter; and

2,808,732 Patented. Oct. 8, 1957.

. therelative sizes and types of the gears for the purpose intended, and the number of teeth, therefore, depends also on these characteristics. In designing gears according to this invention, standard conditions of pitch and number of teeth are taken into consideration according to the desired diameter of the gears to be made. When these conditions are known, of the diameter of the gears and the number and type (long or short) of teeth desired in the respective gears, the lay-out of gearing may then proceed according to the method hereinafter set forth.

In designing such gearing, the process is the same generally without regard to the relative diameters of the intermeshing gears, one size of which is shown in Fig. 1, for purpose of illustration, for a driving gear 1 of nine inch diameter, having fifty-four teeth, and a driven gear 1, of fifteen inch diameter, having ninety teeth, six pitch.

With the known factors of gear diameter and pit-ch and length of the teeth determined, by the usual gear designing engineering practice, the designer would then proceed as follows:

' The gear centers are first determined, as designated at 2, on av center line 3 drawn through said centers for the respective driving and driven gears of the pair.

' The pitch circles of the respective gears 1 and 1 are designated at 4 and 5, respectively, tangent to each other at a point 7, with the centers of said pitch circles-at the center points 2 of the respective gears, as will be evident. Then a' bisect line 6 is drawn tangent to the pitch circles 4 and 5 through the intersecting point 7 thercofwith the center line 3. V y Y,

Thereafter, the width of each tooth is laid offalong the pitch circles 4 and 5, in a desiredrelation withthe center line 3. tooth, providing an even number of teeth for each gear, but these may be laid out at one side, as shown in Fig. 3, foran odd number ,of teeth, or any other desired relation thereto- The pitch of additional teeth are laid off alongthe respective pitch circles, as indicated by the points 8. A sufficient number of teeth, usually three or four, may be laid out on each side of the center line for convenience of design, although ordinarily this would involve the laying-out of each gear completely on a single sheet to avoid design or constructionof the gears in seg ments, even thoughthe drawings illustrate only a segment of each gear. It is obvious that in similar manner the remainder ofeach gear may be formed in the one lay-out,

by completing the respective circles and shaping the teeth on the gears as described.

the center line 3 should be continued to intersect the bisect line 6' fora purpose hereinafter described.

These segment lines 9, 19a and 9b extend through the points}; that determine the opposite sides: of the teeth when the teeth are laid out, so that the center point 7 is midway of a tooth, as shown in Figs l and 2. However, when the teeth are stepped oif from the center point 7, "so that said point is at the side edge of a tooth, the

' lines 9a and 9b should be drawn through the centers of the respective teeth, as shown in Fig. 3. 7 7

Then, the marginal circles, arcs or lines 10 and 11 are drawn for the respective gears 11 and 1', with the centers thereof at the center points of the respective gears 2. The term marginal circles is applied arbitrarily to In Fig. 1, the center line 3 is midway of a- After thus laying olf theipoints representing the sides ent diameters, the marginal line 10 of the driving gear.

should be determined first, through" the pointofIintersection of the segment lines 91: with each other, which.

will'not intersect on the bisect line 6,b'ut on the side of the bisect line toward the smaller gear. Then :the marginal line 10 for the driving gear. maybe drawn. through this point of intersection. Then the marginal lineof the driven gear can be deterrninedfby a point spacedfrom. the poiht of intersection of the lines 96, a. distance equal to the spacing of that pointof intersection .fronrthe pitch circle. of the driving gear. Inother words, the marginal circle II of the driven gear shouldbe spacedfromlthe point of intersection offthe lines 9a..distance equal to the spacing of saidpoint of intersection from. the .pitch circle of the driving gear.

Where tolerance is to be allowed. between the respectivegears, accordingto the purpose'intended one-half ofthe tolerance should be deductedifrom. the. radius-ofv each coacting, gear. However, the tolerance shouldbekept as low as possible according to the. purpose intended.

Then base circles 15and' 16 are drawn through the points. 17 where the circlesll and.10, respectively, intersect the segment lines 9a adjacent the. center line. 3.

These are the base circles that willbe used forlaying-out the female portions of the respective teeth which may be formed according to the centers thus determined.

In laying out the male portions of the teeth, the marginal circles 10 and'll" are used as centers as indicated. by the arrows 18"at the right and left in Fig. 1; The

needle of'the compass is placed on the line 11 (Fig. 1)

where it is intersected by the segment line 9. The pencil.

point is placed on thepitch circle at theintersection of said pitch circle by. the next adjacent segment line 9. The radius 18 of thearc isthe distance from a point of intersection of one line 9with' the circle 11 to the point of i'inte'rsection by, the next adjacent line 9 withthe pitchv circle 51.

the center ofthe end 'of the tooth or the ends-of the teeth may be cut oft, asshown in Figs. 1 and 2.

Then the female portions of the respective teethare:

formed by arcs, indicated. at 19 in Fig. 1, from centers on the base circles 15' and 16, or a radius extending there-1 from to the point of. intersection of the pitch-circle with the. next adjacent. segment line.

formed. The female portions of: the. driven gear: are

formed in likesmanner using ;the base vcirclei16, whereiit is intersected .by the lines 9; as centers, and with the;pencil' point on :the pitch-circle-Sat the point of;interseetion5 thereof with the lines 9:

It is-found that by thus using; the'lines 15rand-161fo1t the centers of these arcs, that a'smooth fit:oftheirrter-' meshing teeth is obtained, producingrolling. actioni on lubricant therebetween in therotationof the gears. Atthe sametime, whenthe pitch of theteethiis determined ace cording. toknown standards of gear size, which are;uti'-- lizediaccording to this invention, the teeth of intermesha.

In this instance, the. compassneedle isplaced on the line. 15, where .it isintersected by thesline 9,,and with the pencil point onthe: pitch circle-4, .the arc is'drawn for one side of.each.tooth.. This is continuedtun-tilall of the tooth portionsiare.

4- ing gears interfit substantially as indicated in the drawings producing the desired action.

While the teeth may be formed pointed, as shown in Fig. 3, either for an even number or an odd number of teeth, the teeth may be formed blunt, if desired, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, according to the desired length of the teeth. Where pointed teeth are used, the length thereof will be determined by theradius lines 18 to the sides thereof since the side margins of the teeth will intersect. Where the teeth are to be formed blunt, the length of the teeth can be determined by engineering practice, according toknown'standards for'speed, power;torque, etc.

In this instance, the length ofthetteeth. of the driving gear is determined and a circle drawn of the required radius intersecting, the sides: of the male ;portions of the teeth, which should be located at a point sufiiciently spaced toward the center of the driven gear outside the pitch circle of the drive gear to give substantiallyrolling action.

Then the depth, ofthe'female portions of the-teeth. of thedriven gear should be the same distance from the pitch circle 5 of the driven'gear as the length of the male portions of the-'teethofjthe drive gear from the pitch circle 4' of the drive gear. This will determine the depth of the female portions of the driven gear. For the male portions ofthe teeth ofthe driven gear, theend face of each should be extended in a concentric direction equal to-the widthof face of the female base portion of the drive gear.

Then the depth of the female-portion of the driven gear should be equal to the length of the male portion of the drive gear outwardly of the pitch circle 4, being spaced.

' wardly of the ends of'the femaleportions of the teeth.

When the teeth have blunt ends, the end of each tooth usually is formed concentric with the axis of the gear and coincident with the addendum circle. The bottom surface of the female portion is formed on an are concentric with the axis of the gear. This. gives sulficient space, indicated at 26 in Fig. 3, for relative, motion of.

the teeth during rotation of the gear.

Ittwill' be evident thatin laying-out complete gears, thewidth of the teeth will be. laid'outalong the pitch circles 4 and Sthroughout the circumference thereof,

and thelines 9 drawn at these points. if desired, or the.

points otherwise indicated where these lines would intersect the respective circles. Then the tooth surfaces would be laid out throughout the circumference. of the respective g ears, utilizing the. points thus designated on the respective circles 10 and 11 for. the. male tooth surfaces, and,.15"and 16 for the female tooth surfaces. provide the desired'sha-pe of teeththroughout the periphcries of the gears, as indicated in the drawings.

From this lay-out of tooth surfaces, it will be evident that the gears may be formed according to any wellknown or standard method, by reproducing these. shapes in metal or other material byhobbingor otherwise.

This produces gears whose operation is smooth and.

chatter, and also lost motion and backlash, and can'be employed in'any desired ratio of gearing, as desired. At

thetrsametime, the pitch of the teeth canbe-somewhat lessithantwould he used normally in' ordinary 'gearing as made heretofore handling similar loads.

This will.

The main characteristic of this gears operating action is as follows: First, from the first point of contact (or ingress) to within /2 tooth chord of the pitch point, the arc of the flank of the driving side of the contacting tooth of the driving gear is congruous to the arc of the face of the driving side of the contacting tooth of the driven gear. As shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the contacting surfaces on both sides of the intermeshing teeth of the driving and driven gears lying in a plane through the center axes of the gears extend continuously from points at the ends of the center tooth to points along the surfaces thereof on the opposite side of the pitch circle, thus producing materially increased bearing areas, as compared with gear teeth used heretofore, and affording a larger area for lubrication. This holds true regardless of the direction of rotation (clockwise or counter-clockwise) of the two coacting gears. Secondly, from within /2 tooth chord past the pitch point in the direction of rotation to the last point of contact (or digress) the face of the driving side of the contacting tooth of the driving gear is congruous to the flank of the driving side of the contacting tooth of the driven gear. This holds true regardless of the direction of rotation (clockwise or counter-clockwise) of the coacting gears.

The pressure angle line is shown at 20, normal to the percentage lines 21, 22 and 23. The percentage line 21 is the ingress percentage line, while the line 23 is the digress percentage line, the line 22 extending parallel therewith through the center point 7. The terms ingress percentage line and digress percentage line are arbitrary terms used to indicate the line on which the teeth move into and out of mesh with each other. The surface between the lines 21 and 22 is the ingress surface toward the center of contact and should be preferably less than one-half of the tooth surface in contact. The digress contact surface is the portion thereof between the lines 22 and 23. The ingress percentage is less than the digress percentage, being thirty-seven percent of ingress and sixty-three percent digress in the example given. This provides for less friction on the ingress than on the digress, the friction of the latter counteracting that of the former, and not only reduces resistance to torque but also reduces the excessive pressure to the axes and increases the life and service of the bearings.

These lines are established at a pressure angle of eleven and one-fourth degrees to the center line 3, as distinguished from the standard practice heretofore in involute gearing, of fourteen and one-half degrees. Thus the pressure angle is reduced which is very advantageous to torque axis, life and service of the gear.

The width and contact of the teeth determine the pressure angle employed, but due to the increased amount of surface contact between the teeth according to this invention, the pressure angle may be materially reduced which is greatly advantageous in the functioning of the gearing. The pressure angle of the drive gear is the same as for the driven gear inasmuch as the teeth of both are of the same width, regardless of the diameter or ratio or the type of gearing.

This construction eliminates undue separating force between the gears that has been present heretofore in involute gearing. Furthermore, most involute gear teeth engage along a surface, the major portion of which is outwardly of the pitch line of the driven gear which has a tendency to exert a separating force on the gears, but the construction of this invention provides for engagement of the driven surfaces, the major portion of which is outwardly of the pitch line of the driven gear, which thereby also tends to reduce the separating force between the gears.

It will be evident that the design of gearing herein set forth enables the gears to be constructed according to known or desired methods, after the lay-out is determined, at no greater cost than ordinary spur, bevel, or worm gears, and yet producing much more efficient operation,

greater power and strength, and less noise than with spur or bevel gearing. These factors are equal to or better than the usual worm gearing and yet the cost of production is only a fraction of the cost of spiral and herringbone gears, and greatly improved results over these several types of gearing, including worm gearing. At the same time, when the gearing is formed accurately as is possible with the process herein described, this will provide the most accurate system of gearing known to me, and much improved over gearing used heretofore.

While the invention has been illustrated and described in certain embodiments, it is recognized that variations and changes can be made therein without departing from the invention as set forth in the claims.

I claim:

1. A gear having teeth formed of male and female tooth portions formed on arcs inscribed from centers on marginal arcs for the male tooth portions and on base arcs for the female tooth portions, which marginal and base arcs are located on opposite sides of a pitch circle along which the pitch of the teeth is laid out by segment lines extending from the center of the respective gears and intersecting the respective pitch circles thereof, the length of the radius of each of said arcs of the tooth portions being approximately equal to the distance from the intersection of one segment line with the marginal arc to the next adjacent segment line at the point of inter section thereof with the pitch are, which segment lines extend from the center of the gear to the opposite sides of the tooth on the pitch arc and intersect the respective marginal and base arcs.

2. A gear having teeth formed of male and female tooth portions extending respectively on opposite 'sides of a pitch circle, which tooth portions are formed on arcs inscribed from centers on a marginal circle for the male tooth portions and on a base circle for' the female tooth portions, which marginal and base circles are located on opposite sides of the pitch circle along which the pitch of the teeth is laid out by segment lines extend ing from the center of the respective gears and intersecting the respective pitch circles thereof, the length of radius of each of said arcs of the tooth portions being approximately equal to the distance from the intersection of one segment line with the marginal circle to the next adjacent segment line at the point of intersection thereof with the pitch circle, which segment lines extend from the center of the gear to the opposite sides of the tooth on the pitch circle and intersect the respective marginal and base circles.

3. A pair of intermeshing gears each formed of male and female tooth portions respectively on opposite sides of tangent pitch circles, which teeth are located along the pitch circles by segment lines extending from the centers of the respective gears and intersecting the respective pitch circles, the male and female tooth portions being formed on arcs inscribed from centers on marginal arcs for the male tooth portions and on base arcs for the female tooth portions, which marginal and base arcs are located on opposite sides of the respective pitch circles, the length of the radius of each of said arcs of the tooth portions being approximately equal to the dis tance from the point of intersection of one segment line with the pitch arc to the point at the intersection of the adjacent segment line with the respective marginal and base circles and with the center of said are on the respective marginal and base circles.

4. A pair of intermeshing gears each formed of addendum and dedendum tooth portions respectively on opposite sides of tangent pitch circles, each of the teeth on each gear having opposite convex faces outwardly of the pitch circle thereof and opposite concave faces inwardly of the pitch circle thereof, said tooth surfaces of the pair of gears having congruous coacting faces shaped in opposed relation in surface contact between the ingress teeth thereof from the point of engagement thereof; ;to the center 7 alignment of v the teeth in a planethreug zrboth gear, axes and between h oppo ed i o gluous ;faces;,.ot; the; digress teeth from .said;ceriterralignoil-reach gear. having opposite convextfaces outwardly of the pitch; circle:thereofi;;andopposite concave;faces inwardly ofthe pitch circle thereof, that-shape of the concave-face;oiueach-tooth at the ingress side, thereof being congrnous to, and.=continuonsly in surface-contact with, the-oppesedconvexfiaceof the adjacent tooth from the point of engagement thereof to thecenter; alignment of the teeth of the pair of gears in a plane through both ear;axes,,and the shape pf the convex face; of each tooth at;the;digress side thereof being eongruousj to,; and continuously in;.;surfa'ce: contact with, the opposed concave face ofithe.adjacenhtoothhfrom;said center alignment to thetpoint of disengagement ofv-the teeth 6.- A pair :of intermeshingra. gears each formed of addendum-and 'dedendum-tooth portions; respectively on opposite ;-sides;of,tangent' pitch circles, each of the teeth on -eachzgear-having; opposite convex faces outwardly of the; pitch circle thereof and'opposite concave faces inwardly of the pitch-circle thereof, said face of the driving sideof each-contacting, tooth; of the driving gear being curved ,congruous tothe abutting: face. of the'driving side of the driven-gear from;the first pointof contact to within one-half tooth chord of the. pitch point, and the face of the driving side of the contacting tooth of the driving gear being curved congrnous tothe driving side of the ;-contacting-ltooth ofthe driven gear-from within one-halftooth chord past the pitch point in the direction of rotation to the last point of contact therewith.

7. A pair of intermeshinggears eachj formed of addendum and ldedendum. tooth portions respectivelv on opposite sides of: tangent pitch circles, each of, the teeth; n. each gear aving opposite convexfaces. outwardly I 0i 5 the, pitch circle thereof and opposite OHQQYG faces in 1 wardly of the pitch circle. thereof, said toothsur-faces of the. pairof: gears having'congrnous coacting faces shaped. inopposed relation in surface contactibetween the; ingress teeth :thereof from; the. point of engagement thereof'to .thegcenter alignment ofthe teeth in a-tpl an e through bothw gear, axes and between the opposed-congruons feces of thedigress teeth from said centeralignav merit tothe pointofdisengagement of the digress teeth the surface contact of a tooth of onegear in said plane through .both' gear axes extending continuously from the end of said tooth along the surfaces thereofto points on the opposite sides of the. pitch circle thereof.

8. A pair of intermeshing gears each formed ofad dendurn and dedendum tooth portions respectively on 0p posite sides of tangent pitch circles, each of the teeth:

on each gear having opposite convex faces outwardlvr of therpitch circle thereof and opposite concave faces inwardly of the pitch circle thereof, the addendum tooth surfaces of each. gear being curved complementary to the dedendum tooth surfaces of the ooactinggear continuously from the point of engagement of theingress teeth thereof to the, center alignment of the teeth-in a. plane through both gear axes and-outwardly from said center. alignment to the, point-of disengagement of the digressteeth, substantially in surface contact.

ReferencesCitedin the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

